the biggest challenge facing these guys across the street right now, particularly republicans in the house, is between now and christmas. as president obama said friday, that would give added% of americans, anybody making to under thousand dollars a year tax cut. are republicans going to allow the 98% of americans to take a tax cut or will they hold them hostage and get a continued tax cut for that 2%? this is a very clear issue and the first challenge for john boehner. 90% vs. 2%. he is -- they have sided with 2%. can he get them to give 90% of americans a tax break? if not, the republican party is in more trouble. >> ami sheree this order -- editorial saying that the republicans have no foothold in -- and little room to negotiate

and the president will drive a bargain. >> it would have to say this. republicans are not dealing from strength. they were in 2010 when they elected 63 tea party freshman and i could block or pass anything they wanted. john boehner was to admit that they do not win and if they do not when you are not dealing with a position of strength. president obama is. >> 1042 to five days until the next presidential election. host: hillary clinton would be

the best prepared candidate. one who has lived in the u.s. senate, a woman who knows virtually every head of state in the world and is a strong opinion of the inclusion of -- social inclusion. i come close but will not talk about that until hillary -- people decide what to do. >> what is your decision making process moving forward -- her process moving card forward? guest: i supported her in 2008 over barack obama. she ran for president, i would be very excited. i have to say i played for time out. here is what is wrong. if we in the media start

speculating right now about 2016, even about 2014, we're not doing our jobs. i got to say that because what is wrong with this country is a perpetual campaign. it is not supposed to work that way. you have a campaign and you fought like hell for you believe then and you win or lose in the new take time out to govern. that is what these people across the street have to do. not in campaign mode but in governing mode. six problems, especially the fiscal and immigration reform. i sound like i am preaching the take time out from the campaign and let us in the media start talking about the issues and informing people about climate change, inform people about the fiscal cliff, about immigration reform and stop the speculation about joe biden or hillary clinton or andrew cuomo or marco rubio.

let's pass a law. you cannot talk about it until 2015. host: we will talk about that. good morning. hard to imagine that a guy who is making millions is paying tax. i am a republican. the tax code has to be taken to the smithsonian institute because the lobbyists have ruined this country. all and come should be ordinary income and it should be taxed as such. people get their original

deduction, 10% from mortgage interest or wherever they want. everything else is taxed, and to pay down the debt. that is what congress has to do. it is not this loophole or that loophole. it is all the loopholes. it has to be ordinary and that is the only way. healthcare has to be taken off the back of industry. i am sure you have a tax code that gets rid of corporate tax. host: everything of an ordinary income and the people pay with their taxes ought to be. tax reform is so badly needed in this country. over and above whether or not we

are raising taxes on the nine -- 90%. are we going to reform the tax cut? it will take a long time but we have to get busy added. the problem is so many lobbyists who will shoot holes in the tax cut because they want a tax deduction for this crop for that crop for this industry or that industry. by the time the lobbyists are through with it it looks like swiss cheese. that is the challenge. i would not call mitt romney a victim of the tax code. i would call him a great beneficiary from making all the billions that he did through loopholes and swiss bank accounts and the cayman islands and the bahamas to get his tax rate, high paying good accountants -- paying good accountants down. host: sasha agrees with you.

this excalation mark, stop already. bill press from current tv. caller: how are you on this wonderful veterans day? first thing i would like to do is to say thank you for -- to all the veterans. godspeed all the guys and your girls and family. those of the one to sit up here and talk about it. i got a couple of things. do you have a pen? could you drop down? bush on jobs, january 9, 2009. it has a nice treat their. it says democrats treat more

jobs than republicans in that period. obama needs to take his program, or because he is the only candidate that has won nationwide. everyone else a1c lydell no collections. it seems like the lines are blurred between the words bribery and lobbying and that is what our problem is today. one last thing on corporations. if their citizens where they're not charged with things like a negligent homicide whenever somebody dies in the minds? he had a lot of people that died. guest: absolutely. let's not forget what this three day weekend is about. is not just having an extra day. let's honor and salute our veterans and we take time out and do that. there is many points. when i would touch with -- touch

on added a column on that. if you look at the numbers, for your politics, look at the numbers. under democratic presidents versus republican presidents, more jobs have been treated under the republican president. 5.5 -- 5.4 million private sector jobs. four and half were lost under president bush, after the recession. president obama has brought those jobs back in creative more. it is true that under the democratic president, the market has gone up dramatically more than under republican presidents and under democratic presidents, the economy has improved dramatically more than under republican presidents. i would say look at those numbers and ask yourself why so

many people still believe that republicans are better for big business or for business in general. historically they are not. >> will play -- feist poor -- first fight what they want and believe in. but be willing to recognize in this game we called a running or politics and never get 100% of what you want. we say we have as much as we can get and so this is a good deal and we will agree, admit we do not get 100% but president obama does not get that but we do serve the american people. i want to say something else, maybe get in trouble with some of my liberal friends.

john boehner would make a good deal for the republican party and the country but if your tea party is continue and eric kanter prince john banner from leading and compromising or he has to, i think they're in trouble. >> that is a classic example. they had a great relationship. they did not compromise. he was willing to sit down as much as his feet seemed in concrete at times, he was willing to sit down. he raised taxes seven out of the years he was in the warehouse. and grover norquist says we have to sign a pledge never to raise taxes. that is crazy. what about barack obama and chris christie?

it is possible for leaders of both parties to work together and that is what the american people want. >> let me show you the story. a lot of speculation as to whether nancy pelosi will stay on as the house, democratic leader. i wonder she will step down. she raised a lot of money for democrats. >> she is a great leader and a good long time friend of mine. another former chair of the california democratic party. i do not know what is going to happen there. i believe nancy pelosi will remain and should remain the democratic leader of the house. i do not know that -- i have not heard any talk about a challenge. the last thing the democrats need is an internal squabble. they picked up some seats. the got the white house and the senate. i think there agenda ought to

be on moving forward with the issues we have talked about. climate change, immigration reform, and text reform and not internal squabbling. >> our guest is bill press. >> might show is radio and tv. on current tv 3 hours. i will tell you what channel is and is simulcast on progress if talk stations nationwide. if you are lucky enough to have a progressive talk station wyck in madison, wisconsin, you can listen to the show or see it on current tv.

host: ron from columbus georgia, independent line. caller: good morning. i do agree with your comment about campaign is over, let's govern. but i am a veteran and i've been a company commander and my point is this, i cannot call my boss and say i cannot get my company commanders to agree on how to accomplish a commission. i won't be a company commander very long. here's the point, the american people are the boss. there should be a law that's presented to congress that says from mr. president on down to congress, if you cannot solve the country's problems you need to go. it's just that simple. americans are sick and tired of

the partisan politics and we just don't see the greatest country in the world moving forward the way it's supposed to be. and it's because you've got these guys playing partisan congress. there should not be a republican or democrat, it should be america's party after you're elected to congress. guest: i agree with the principle but we have the means in place if we use it and that's an election. every two years members of the house of representatives are up for reelection and you have a chance to look and see if you believe they're getting the job done and if they're not boot them out. i'd even be for term limits in congress which congress would never adopt. so if people take their elections seriously and follow the issues seriously we can talk them out. but repeating a point made earlier, you know it used to be that way in this town where in between elections you had leaders of

both parties bob dole or george mitchell or trent lot and we could name some others, they knew they were there to do the people's business in between elections and they were solid democrats or solid republicans but they got together and were willing to compromise. that's how you move things forward in this town. i believe it changed with newt gingrich. newt basically told people never compromise the democrats. they are our enemy. well political parties should not be enemies. they should be partners. i believe newt poisoned this congress and they're still drinking the poison. >> i want to get your idea on these headlines.

from the "new york times." guest: this is a tough issue and it's very sad for america in my opinion to see a goodman have to fall on his sword over having an extramarital affair. i dare say if you went across the street to this beautiful building here and told everybody in the senate and in the house republican or democrat who had ever cheated on their wife or husband that they had to leave, this would be an empty building. he was having an affair. guest: it is a real tragedy and sad for america to see a good man have to fall on his sword over having an extramarital affair. i daresay if you run across the street to this beautiful building here, and told

everybody in the senate and house republican or democrat, who had ever cheated on their wives, or a husband, they had to leave, this would be an empty building. a thick with a double standard when it comes to -- he made this decision. i am sorry he did. as a country, it is time that we were a little more tolerant about human failings. he admitted he made a mistake. it looks if he wants to keep his marriage going with his wife. it is up to the two of them to work that out. as for pala, what ever with her husband, she has to work that out. i do not think that should district david petraeus's career. we have not seen any breach of national security, alleged even. no criminal charges are going to

be fired. it is not like he was sleeping with a russian spy. i am sorry to see it happen. host: go ahead don. caller: thank you for taking my call. mr. press have you a right to your own facts but not to your own facts. and you made a statement that white demographic were the only fifthone president obama won. -- mitt romney. guest: give me one. caller: exit polls. host: these are based on the exit poles 55% for the president 44% for mitt romney among meals

52% and ob 49% among blacks hispanics and asians 49% or barack obama 59% or mitt romney. guest: i'm looking at the "new york post" has a full page with every demographic i was interested to see the catholic vote barack obama got 25% of the catholic vote. i went through the entire thing and may i say you are dead wrong. caller: i'm going by exit polls and that's the only way "the washington post" can do it is by exit polls. you oh an apology to congressmen you said that basically every congress person has had an extramarital affair you said it would be an empty building. you oh an apology to those that faugh guest: you prove me wrong, i'll apologize. host: let's go to democrats

line. caller: first of all i'd like to say when it comes down to our election, i'm a democrat but i did not vote democratic because i believe in what barack obama said. i didn't vote republican because i believed in what mitt romney said. i am an american and in this day in age it seems like everyone would put all that prejudice those lies that who shot james ifstuff down and govern our country the correct way. we have serious issues out here and if anyone is mad, it should be those that are in hunger lines, people without jobs that need jobs, children who don't have parents. these are things we need to address. we need to address how our children will be the next congresswomen, doctors,

president, we are needing these things but nobody is focused on that. their bickering back and forth on who won this on this election, who should have did that on that. barack obama is president. he is president four more years regardless of who voted and who didn't. he is that. host: t that's a statement fifthguest: that's a statement not a question and our first priority should be what is best for the this country and we are americans first not republicans or democrats. i found the page i was looking for and it affirms not to beat up on don too much. president obama got 55% of the women vote and mitt romney got 44% of the women vote. that's the way it is. host: let me show you george will predicted mitt romney would win with about 312 electoral votes. but this morning he says

liberals have an inherent but advantage to which many of them are related as employees or fanclients. >> i was you surprised that he made out that prediction that romney was going to win. usually he is more careful but at my rate i think george is making a good point in this sense.

i question that democrats are more motivated than republicans. cluff there were so many stories where people were writing off the liberal base for barack obama bauds they didn't feel it the way they did in 2012 and the tea that party was much more energized because they saw they could win this election. so i think there is a lot of motivation on the republican side, i certainly saw it. but here is what was lacking barack obama had the best most focused laser like ground game we have ever seen in american politics. they did it for four years. they knew in ohio house by house by house who was their vote and who wasn't their vote and what those people ate for breakfast. same thing in florida.

they had a ground game and mitt romney had none. top republican told me mitt romney had no ground game. they cal lid on enthusiasm to correct get people out to the polls. it doesn't work that way. this is going to be this year's textbook campaign for how to win elections in this country. money or tv adds alone. it doesn't work. you have to get out on the ground. host: what advice would you give the president that the problems and per rills of second terms whether it's policy with ronald reagan. what advice would you give the president. guest: i would say three things. mr. president you won, be strong and mr. president go for broke.

deal from strength. you're never going to have to run for reelection so go to the wall on every issue you believe in. host: including entitlement and social security. guest: i don't know what you mean by entitlement reform if you mean fixing them that's what president obama believes, yes, yes yes. and i would say there were some issues in the first term where i was disappointed. let's take climate change president obama didn't go up to congress and fight for a strong bill. now the white house will tell you we didn't do it because we didn't have the votes. to me that's giving up before you fight the fight. i think on climate change and immigration reform and entitlement reform on this fiscal cliff on the tax break for 98% of meshes, on a balanced

approach to fixing our fiscal crisis the president has to go up there and fight every fight. have steel in his backbone this time and i think he'll have a legendary second four years. >> ohio independent line. caller: good morning. i have two comments. one involves the definition of fifth the word compromise and the people need to use it. there are only two people who don't need to use the term compromise if you're a dictate or king. host: or a pope. caller: and the other is a kid. halfthey need to identify which group they belong to. dow want to be a dictator or a spoiled kid because everybody else in between has to compromise that i know of. and one other thing concerning past presidents, why is it that it is considered a sin -- i have no complaints about george bush that much my main complaint was dick cheney why sit nit we talk about bush, they put knives in the back of dead

democrats and they do it to smuttle their face. they do it to jimmy carter who is like the walking dead and bill clinton. but george bush don't do that. we're too busy -- he's been dead for 70 years. guest: he's fire this morning. on that second point i agree with him on the compromise. on the second point that's just political talk and i would encourage you to ignore it all just like i do and recognize

ofs people just being kind but loose and frivolous and after all pun dents get paid by the word so they have to say that for factsomething even if they're wrong. host: george knew when he made the prediction his column only required three words, i was wrong. guest: he didn't say that did he? host: no, as far as i know. guest: american people like to hear people say they are wrong when they are wrong. even dick morris he is seen his time in politics come and go. host: he predicted a landslide. guest: he predicted sharon brown would have to find a new job. he predicted bill nelson would lose in florida. he got every single thing wrong

but at least the next day he said i was wrong. carl rove has yet to say that. host: do you have another book in the works? guest: i have one in the works. you can follow me at billpress.com. host: thanks for stopping by. guest: it's always fun. >> this is 45 minutes. did not happen what tuesday? they had -- and got an affirmation of policies in the

direction the president had articulated. there was not much reticulation there but i think they showed two things. politically, they are superior in terms of their ability to get their vote to the table and secondly, from a policy standpoint especially with the pickup in the senate of people, you look at the city, one of those four walls that the republicans needed to pick up two seats was a profound effort as well. it kind of makes the policy discussion take on a very different hue. for the republicans it was one of those come dejesus moments politically were the have to reassess and reevaluate whether they want to be a relevant political party. host: how do they do that? guest: two years we were able to

prove that you can win coming off the ash heaps of 2006 and 2008. the brand is in the tank, people are not joining the party. we were able to pull around a turnaround. by empowering the state parties to build a grass-roots operation on the ground and what i did was modeled my chairmanship at least likely how we operated after how we deemed it down with a 50 state strategy, putting emphasis on states where republicans have not to believe one in the past to go in there and not try to win it all but to win some. when a county council race, when the mayor's race, when the legislative race and the bill -- build that from the bottom up, have a message that resonated and a lot of that was missing in this campaign for a lot of reasons. all the recriminations, finger- pointing is not helpful. second-guessing, should we pick

mitt romney and you did. should we have picked paul ryan? why not. he is a smart political figure. and has a lot to offer the party. and that resonated well with the electorate so that second- guessing is typical washington inside craziness. you need to hunker down and look at your ground game and organization and look at your message. you need to look at your messengers and we need messengers who look like me, messengers who are hispanic, asian americans, women. a cross-section of folks who represent communities around the country. what are you hearing -- what are you hearing? guest: i've heard people say that and that's a decision he will make on his own. and the party will judge whether losing two senate seats and the presidential and not much of a ground game is worthy of a reelection.

host: a landslide loss for big money. voters ignored most of the outside ads but the danger of unlimited spending remains and a lot of focus on american cross roads and the money spent by carl rove. those people should ask for a refund guest: good luck with that. the return on investment was not the best that it could or should have been no doubt. i don't know that's something that cross roads and their donors will have to work out. many of those donors were moved away from the r.n.c. and that may have had an impact on the effective ground game. they adopted strategies that a lot of people looked at and questioned whether or not they would work. it was more of a beached what he will than anything else.

i think there were a number of aspects of this where money and i think this election showed that despite all the hype and hysteria at the beginning of the campaign about super pacs and big money, at the end of the day had very little impact in terms of getting people to vote one way or the other. a lot of networks and tv programmers had a very lucrative spring, summer and fall but beyond that i don't think much else happened with it. host: from the weekly standard four more years and losing can be liberating. he points out that conservatives have a role to play guest: there is some truth to. that i think whenever you get into battle you're consumed by it, that's your focus. the fact of the matter is have you every expectation going in you're going to win. when you don't it takes your breath away and you have to step back.

what i learned in 2009 with very little to work with and go on simply because the brand was not what it was before that was you sit down, you lay out your mission and you engage at a level that you hadn't gone before. you really drill down and understand exactly what is going on. and what we did was almost like a 12 stefment we assessed our failings, we listened to what people were saying. we looked at the landscape to see how the changed and how we needed to adapt. and that's the same type of strategy that needs to go on

now. if you want to moan and point fingers you can do that but you're not going to get to solving your problems. host: last week saying there were mixed messages and when you do that when you send -- didn't resonate with most voters because what -- how we came off and sounded was judge mental and really unwelcoming to people. ofan't tell you the number people who would come up to me at a local store and say i would like to be with you guys not feeling the love.

at a real base level that's what people look for in their political party. they want to feel some level of connection and acceptance, i'm not going to agree with everything or you may not do everything i want you to do but there has to be a connection there. and that was important for to us re-establish early on. when you look at a state like new jersey with chris christie running for governor in 2009. how do you climb that mountain and yet you find with a good candidate like christy a strong message and he focused on what people were concerned about their taxes, the spending in the state and it resonated. he didn't get caught in the weeds of issues that people weren't focused on. that was a trap that was set. we fall into it every time. we feel if we don't talk about these issues people won't know what we believe. people know what we believe whether it's abortion or gay marriage, family issues and the

like. people know that. if people are talking about this over here the economy and jobs, then let's focus on the economy and jobs. it doesn't mean don't focus on the other issues. focus on what people want to talk about. explain how your policies and your leaders will make a different for them. host: was mitt romney the problem for them? guest: no. mitt romney went through that primary process like everybody else and state after state republicans voted for him. if they didn't want mitt romney to be that i shall nominee why did they vote for him? only so you can get to the general election and trash him when he loses. that seems stupid to me. so to say mitt romney was the problem. toproblem if you're going point to it is the republicans out here who said this is the guy we want and didn't support

him. this is the guy we want but didn't help him get across the line. you can't put this on the shoulder of mitt romney necessarily. how he runs his campaign you can pick at that from here to . there but to say as the nominee he was the problem i think is silly particularly given all the other individuals who were in the race that ran through the primary like he did. he won. host: we'll get to your calls and comments. join us on our facebook page or send us an e-mail or tweet. let's turn to the policy side of this speaker boehner telling the republicans to basically fall in line. he said let john boehner be john boehner he can negotiate a deal with the president without getting pressure from tea party

caucus members. guest: i agree. let john boehner be in a position to negotiate from a position of strength not from a position of looking over his shoulder and having to second guess and ultimately a position of weakness going into these talks with the president. the spt emboldened and he could say john boehner i don't need you and if you keep this i'm going to run against your entire congress and all of you are going to be gone. he's looking at the longer ball as well. you have all these house members who will be in their fourth year by the time they get to 2014 and if there has been no movement. if the country perceives republicans are not working trying to resolve the problems, then guess what happens in two years. the public will turn and say that's it. we're just going to go in a completely different direction.

so boehner needs the short term and long term opportunity to position the party on policy so that they can art cue late what we believe whether it's on taxes or a whole bunch of other issues from a position of strength not weakness and i think the house caucus should listen to his leadership. the man knows what he needs to do and how to do it. he's done it before. so let boehner be boehner. host: the tax code, changes to the overall tax code next year. how likely is that? guest: i think it's likely. it won't be immediate. you want to get it right as you possibly can but that's a leverage point for john boehner. let's not focus on the latest rates, we know there are all these other areas where we can begin to grab revenue and pull it back into the government. and i think that's going to give him some leverage but he's going to need that leverage going into this and not be second guessed. host: our first call is from maryland but i want to put this

on the table. is michael steele interested in running for governor in 2014? guest: i don't know. i love my state. it's where i was born and i'm not happy with what i see there. a lot of frustration. we've had a lot of spending in the state and a lot of tax increases and i think people are looking for something that is going to be a little different. it's a tough state and -- host: tough state for a republican? guest: tough state for a republican and it's one of those opportunities you have to look at carefully. i haven't made a decision than. i'll leave that to smarter people than me. host: good morning. caller: you just read my mind. if you ran for governor i would back you because i've seen a change in you personally.

i've been watching and you and it was disheartening for the contest with the republican party treated you and i didn't like it. but what they need to do is come into these communities which they discounted like the black community. they never speak about us being republicans. that's not true. i'm a conservative and a moderate. i'm not a liberal. and i work hard every day and i really like you and i voted for erowich without a doubt. my thing is the policy -- has to stop, people taking pledges. there is only one pledge we are supposed to take. they should listen to what you are telling them and there might have been a different outcome. when they started doing what

they did to that president you know what it made us feel like. guest: i heard it. i heard it quite a bit. and you cannot start a conversation about how to move the country forward when the position is well our sole objective is to make i you a one-term president. so that resonated with a lot of people. i think a lot of how we republicans have expressed ourselves has been rather bone headed. it is been ten eered. it has been not keeping in mind what people are actually looking for in your leadership. they are looking for you to make some hard choices and to move the needle for them. and i don't think we did that. i go back to the whole debt debate and when we were talking about the end of the bush tax cuts part one, and how does

republican party get on the wrong side of a tax increase? when you're looking at your message and it's that off, you have to pay attention to how people are hearing and seeing it. and i think you are exactly right that the party now has an opportunity to fine tune its core and focus on communities. my first official visit outside of washington and this is three days after i was elected chairman was to harlem for a town hall meeting. and people looked at me and said why are you going there. i said because that's where the votes are. if we don't go to communities around the country that don't look like typical republicans we're going to go to the way of the wigs. host: the republicans should listen to the dems, they know how to run and win.

guest: i think there are lessons to learn. i looked at the strategies that the democratic national committee under howard dean's leadership put into position. and he got vilified for a 50 state strategy just as i did. youdon't appreciate why are putting money in arkansas or south dakota or ga well that's where we're going to elect republicans. you get that momentum of electing people and spending time and money on the ground to build the party from the grass roots up makes all the difference in the world host: let me share with you a cup of key demographic areas. as we move down to the issue of race mitt romney getting 59% of the white vote the president 39% of the white vote but the president getting a vast

majority of the black, hispanic asian and designated as other. in terms of education mitt romney getting 51% of the college vote. president obama getting high school, some college and post graduate study the president winning 55 to 42. >> guest: huge demographic shift. across the board success by the obama campaign to identify its voter and for a period of over a year to target that voter and on election day pull the trigger and have them go vote. i laughed in the summer when people around this town were harping on the obama team hemorrhaging cash, why are they spending all this money this early in the campaign? they were spending the money putting it on the ground to beat our behinds in november. they were investing in technology and infrastructure and a ground game that was beyond 21st century.

their ability to identify their voter even when that voter looked like our voter. that's the interesting thing that your statistics are showing folks who looked like a republican voter turned out to be an obama voter because they identified them, worked them and got them to the polls. host: blake is on the phone on the republican line in alabama caller: \[indiscernible] that was a long long time ago i guess. thanks for service to the party. i see first of all -- i was curious about a couple of

numbers but before i get to that just a quick point about the money that people are talking about, how much money, that money made no difference and it seems like money made all the difference. in the summer romney had no money and obama was savaging him and he could not respond. and he was -- as a rich fellow and didn't care about the people. he never responded because he had no money. money was the problem. but coming to the statistics what i'm curious what percentage of the total vote, not the democratic party, total vote was black vote, african- american american vote this time compared to what normally it is because obama being on the ticket and what that would have looked like if he was not obama?

guest: i'm not sure what the final number was a percentage of raw number of black turnout across the country. i know in certain regions of the country it was very high. don't know if it reached the 2008 levels. i do not suspect it did. i think that there was falloff by the african-american turnout but -- african-american turn out but it's important for the g.o.p. to realize for the first time in history minorities elected the president of the united states. the coalition of african- americans and asians and gay community, all these political interest around the country co- alessed in a way that made a difference and that's important for the future of politics. host: i heard last week barach

obama won with the coalition of 1972. guest: you could say that. host: these are two tweets the ground game is good but messaging goes a long way. ask michael steele about the republicans must protect and explain individual liberty. guest: both of those tweets are smart and right on. the first one in terms of the messaging the three m's. money, message messenger. we don't have a problem getting money. our donors were very generous and we thank them for them. but when it comes to the message and the messengers that is where it false off the cliff. it's not finding one or two individuals to do it. you have to bring a whole lot of folks not allowed to engage

in an honest way because they live in a part of the country or people don't want to deal with, they don't vote for us over there. people said that about my race in 2002, we shouldn't do this because we're running against a kennedy and it's maryland and they won't vote for us. if we didn't engage on ideas and a strong message i wouldn't have been in the game. number two, with respect to ron paul and i said at the time of the convention the way he was treated was an offense. this man has been consistent about one thing and now we see everyone is coming around full circle on his views on the role of the fed and the government when it comes to our individual

liberties and freedom. to have the party not allow him to speak at a national convention to me was offensive because when you have the ability to bring together 18, 25, 30-year-old's to the table and you just turn your back on that, it shows you do not have the foresight to show where our politics are going. host: our guest is michael steele, former chairman of the republican national committee. the former lieutenant governor of maryland. you have one selection than you have lost elections. we saw mitt romney back at his headquarters, but what the thinking is going through personally? guest: it's tough. he ran before in 2008. for him, this has been a very personal journey to endure what he had to indoor with respect to his face, the assaults on that, the assaults on his

character and integrity, assault on his integrity as a governor to lead. it's very personal. you have to find that space and get in that space where you really stand aside and say that's the politics of it, but it's hard to do. thank you for your run. you bested a big field of republicans, he weathered the storm, and you put together a very strong field. that first debate in september was one of the strongest by had ever seen. he was the governor of his state and i was lieutenant governor and we became close in our association. he was a guy i was always looking for.

i would see glimmers of him and it's very frustrating that people around him thought he needed to appeal a certain way. he would have to say things that you know he did not necessarily think was part of the corps. i get the frustration now having to go and live with that loss and try to move forward. host: on the independent line with michael steele, good morning. caller: one, i would like to just agree 100% from the caller from maryland. i'm an african-american male and i love you. when you were the chairman, i did not appreciate how i really did not push that against some of the more forceful voices. overall, i think the message was right on point.

after your loss seeking the second term, what i would hear coming from you, i think it is the tenor and the message that this country greatly needs. it was the frustration in the electorate right now and i think you could be a very, very major force in this political time to come. lastly, i would like to agree with you 100% about the ron paul factor. it from paul had run against a president i love, i really -- that would have been a head- scratching moment because i love ron paul. his voting record of 25 years actually matches what comes out of his mouth. guest: amazing what consistency will do for a person, right? there's something about ron paul and his leadership. again, you can scratch your head

on some of the foreign-policy stuffy has espoused and may disagree with him on that, and that's fine, but he engages you in a debate of ideas around some really strong principles, like the constitution. ron paul will estimate bridget still be a strong player. his son will be a very important voice in the next year or so. i get it. my style is not necessarily the warmest for some conservatives who like the it straight laced stand in the background. i thought of the chairmanship needed to be a vibrant part of the political process. that meant putting it out on the street. that meant doing some shows that were not necessarily traditional for the rnc chairman to do. i just felt very strongly, and

i still do, that the power does not rest down here but arrests out in america in the streets. you saw this happen again in this election. it was all race centralized back in washington because we will tell you how to do it because we know best. the reason they hired me was to come in and break that up. some did not like that, whoever else down in other parts of the country and that's fine. the goal was to push the envelope and push the party to recognize that they needed to play differently. we did that to build a national memory coalitions around the country and reelected two african-americans to the congress and we lose a seat two years later.

how does that happen? we are continuing the momentum and it stalls. why is that? it's not me. i get all might bus and i do a speech to charge up the hill, when you get there two years later what? there's no continuation of the command to charge forward. the party needs to do a little soul-searching to see how we move forward. host: should reince priebus have two more years? guest: that is something the members need to think about. 700 legislative seats around the country taking up senate seats and raising $198 million in an off-year collection without the senate? that's what i did. and i got fired for it.

are your host: interested in running again? -- host: are you interested? in running? guest: it might shake things up. host: are you interested? when would you announce? guest: we've got time. host: next caller. caller: i have been watching c- span this year more than i have ever watched.

. .

steven a. wood that was here for a long time run an interesting piece on the future of the conservative movement. we're not talking about northeastern liberals that have no home at this point. i do not know what will happen. are talking about card-carrying conservatives to understand if we keep on going down this path, tribalism could turn this into a country that makes all of the nice words about how we are not arrested and ballistic we are the united states into we are rich states, blue states and we're going to the mattresses. >> one way, of course, to avoid the tie in the electoral college is to have them said it at an equal number.

and you might have a tie at the speaker of the house. on the valley's question. -- values question. i think sometimes we forget that the united states for most of its history has been a culturally diverse country. i think those of us who grew up to remember the universal popular cultures of the radio entertainment programs, the movies of the 1930's and 1940's, television in the 1950's and 1960's. it was a huge advantage to presenting a popular culture that appeal to everybody. you had a period in which we had a strong universal popular culture. we do not live in that country anymore. we have 133 cable channels. we have lost the language of

the universal culture. we have different values that we did in the past. the founders established a limited government with limited powers with a lot of room for a states, localities, and voluntary organizations to do society's work. they made the federal government neutral on religion. states could have an established religion, or they did not have to have won. we were going to leave religion -- the federal government was going to be neutral on that. that mostly worked, although there were difficulties. we had something called the civil war because he suddenly got a federal government issue, slavery and the territories -- congress was given specific power to regulate the territories are you could not avoid that issue. we had civil war. one of the problems with big government in my judgment is that when you have something like obamacare, it suddenly becomes a federal issue whether

or not your insurance policy should cover the $9 a month you need to pay for contraceptive is at walmart. that is less than the price of two pumpkin lattes at starbucks. it became a national issue when we had a speaker on the prime- time tv our of the democratic convention abdicating her position. a lot of people have strong views based on their personal moral beliefs are there religious beliefs on both sides of this issue, believes that are not crazy, rational, or vicious, but they have to be different. big government makes this a national issue. the founders idea was a lot of things like this would be handled in different ways so that people could reach different resolutions nationally. the supreme court made abortion a national issue in 1973. people have strong moral views

on both sides of an issue. believes that are very important in their lives. we cannot expect them to be expelled from politics and government makes the decisions. >> people talk a lot about bipartisanship or unity. i think there are types of a false unity we should talk about. one is where we pretend values are things that can be laid at the political doors. i think michael was very eloquent about why it has never been and why it cannot be. the other kind is when one party says to the other that unity is on my terms. when i hear a lot of times people on the right, i get the impression unity will be fine as long as we are only talking about the shade of red from rose to ruby. on the left the underlying assumption has been, we really won the election -- even though you did not win the house. the unity will be the shade of

blue you can accept. i think what americans want is for us to look at america as a marriage. the democrats and the republicans are the spouses and the country is the family. what you learn in a marriage is you have to listen to the other spouse. you have to understand what the other spouse's the point is even if you disagree with that. if you care more about the family and yourself, then you have to make accommodations to authentically response to the other person's deepest desires and aspirations, even if it would be discomforting to you. we will have a rebuttal -- we will have a real bipartisanship when we can have red and blue come together and debate about the shades of purple understanding they will not get everything they want. until that happens, we will only be talking about false unity. civility will continue to

decrease and political war we will continue to have. [applause] >> i would like to thank my wonderful palace and colleagues here. thank you for coming. we will see you in two years.

>> next, president obama participates in a veterans day ceremony. after that, q&a with matthew heineman. then "washington journal." today, prime minister david cameron gives a speech on the foreign policy issues. it is an annual event for the financial and diplomatic parts of london. that is beginning at 3:30 p.m. eastern on the c-span. >> 2013 should be the year we begin to solve our debt through tax reform and entitlement reform. i am proposing that we avert the fiscal cliff together in a manner that assures that 2013 is finally the year when our government comes to grips with the major problems we are facing. >> i am open to compromise. i am open to new ideas. i am committed to solving our

fiscal challenge. but i refuse to accept any approach that is not balanced. i will not ask students and seniors and middle-class families to pay down the entire deficit while people like me making over $250,000 are not asked to pay a dime more in taxes. >> a newly elected congress begins work in january. the current congress still has work to do through the lame-duck session. work is expected on of the impending fiscal cliff, including the expiration of the bush-era tax cuts, raising the debt ceiling, and the planned cuts to domestic and military spending, known as sequestration. below the floor debates beginning on at 2:00 p.m. eastern. >> president obama and other dignitaries gathered at

arlington national cemetery for this year's summit -- ceremony honoring our nation's veterans. joining him was veterans of their -- affairs secretary. this is just over 45 minutes.

>> present arms! \[national anthem plays]

\[drum plays] \["taps" plays]

[applause] >> ladies and gentlemen, please remain standing for the parade of colors. as we march on the colors, the united states navy band will perform the national emblem march. please place your hand over your heart or render a hand salute.

>> please remain standing for the prayer of all veterans delivered by reverend keith etheridge, representative of the department of veterans' affairs chaplin service. >> please join me in prayer. >> eternal god, we seek your blessing this morning as we come together united as one people to honor veterans of every generation. each time we come to arlington and stand in this sacred place, we feel your presence, along with all who are memorialized here. so we come today with thankful hearts, knowing well that we owe our very existence as a nation to veterans living and dead who dedicated their lives to the cause of freedom. as we honor our veterans, we also remember their families and loved ones. we know that they, too, have

sacrificed much in support of their military men and women in times of war and peace. today we remember our veterans who have returned from the battle to face unexpected challenges at home. help them to take their skills and build new and meaningful lives in the cities and rural communities all across our land. we pray for our military members who are serving in harm's way in afghanistan and around the world. may they know that a grateful nation remembers and honors their service. now may your presence bring healing and comfort to our nation's veterans and their families. hear our prayer for veterans. amen. >> amen.

>> now i'd like to invite mr. rick delaney, national president of the national retired enlisted association to lead us in our pledge of allegiance. >> i pledge allegiance to the flag of the united states of america. and to the republic for which it stands, one nation under god, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. >> please be seated. it is now my distinct privilege to introduce the members of the veterans day national committee. the committee was formed by presidential order in 1954 to hold this annual observance in honor of america's veterans and to encourage and support veterans day observances throughout the nation. please hold your applause until

i've introduced these special guests. if you're able, please stand when i call your name. rick delaney, national president of retired enlisted association. harold fritz, president, congressional medal of honor society. larry paulson, national commander, disabled american veterans. norbert ryan jr., national president, military officers association of america. steven wojciechowski, legislative director of polish legion of american veterans. james ferris, national president, korean war veterans association. albert gonzalez, national commander, american g.i. forum. shelden oren, national commander, jewish war veterans of the u.s.a. charles sasino jr., national commander, american ex- prisoners of war. leo haley, national commander, catholic war veterans of the u.s.a. william meeks, secretary,

vietnam veterans of america. john hamilton, commander in chief, veterans of foreign wars of the united states. cleve gear, national commander amvets. samuel hunt, national president, blinded veterans association. john cahill, national commander, army and navy union of the u.s.a. h. gene overstreet, national commander, noncommissioned officers. james kutz, national commander, the american legion. bruce mckenty, national commander, military order of the purple heart of the u.s.a. mark kilgore, national president, fleet reserve association. james tuey, national commandant, marine corps league. edward brogan, national president military chaplin association. bill lawson, national president, paralyzed veterans of america. benny atkins, national commander, legion of valor of the u.s.a.

gary angen, commander in chief, military order of the world wars. jack clemp, president, national association for uniform services. the associate members of the committee are located in the boxes to my left. i'd like to ask the presidents and national commanders of our associate members to stand and be recognized. ladies and gentlemen, please join me in recognizing our veterans national leadership with your applause. \[applause] >> it is now my pleasure to introduce our veterans organization host, founded in 1963, the retired enlisted association is dedicated to enhancing the quality of life for uniform services, enlisted personnel, their families, and

survivors, including active duty, veterans, reserves, national guard, and all retirees. the retired enlisted association is represented today by their national president, retired air force master sergeant, rick delaney. a vietnam veteran, mr. delaney resides in warner robins, georgia. ladies and gentlemen, please welcome mr. rick delaney. \[applause] >> thank you. president obama, secretary shinseki, members of congress, members of the armed services, ladies and gentlemen, fellow veterans, and friends, it is an honor and a privilege for the retired enlisted association to host this year's veterans day ceremonies, and i want to welcome each of you here. mr. president, congratulations on your re-election to office. \[applause]

>> secretary shinseki, i especially want to thank you for your service to our nation, both as a distinguished army officer, and as secretary of veterans' affairs. because of your personal experience, your leadership of the v.a. is not just another job. you know firsthand what can happen to those who serve and how important it is that our nation take care of its veterans. we are here today to recognize and honor the service and sacrifice of all those who have worn one of the uniforms of our nation's armed services.w whether they served in a combat zone like iraq or afghanistan, or remote destination, or somewhere around the world, a u.s. base in an allied country or right here in the united states, they all gave more than lip service to their country. they gave part of their lives, and some gave so much more --

so much more. we honor them today because they stepped forward when their nation called. we also remind our fellow citizens that taking care of veterans, keeping the promises made to them, is a cost of defending our nation. veterans have kept faith with our nation, and our nation must ensure that it keeps faith with its veterans. perhaps you saw on the news a couple weeks ago a story about a world war ii japanese american veteran, mr. frank tanabi. even though he was placed in internment cap during the war, he volunteered to serve in the army. in an interview he gave a number of years ago, he said, i wanted to do my part to prove i wasn't an enemy alien, that none of us were, that we were true americans, and that if we ever got the chance, we could do our best to serve our country. and we did. the story was newsworthy

because mr. tanabi was ailing and cast his vote by absentee ballot just one week before he passed away. i believe mr. tanabi embodied what it means to be a veteran. paraclese who lived from 495- 429 b.c. said freedom is the sheer possession of those alone who have the courage to defend it. today, at the 11th hour of the 11th month, 11th day, we honor those millions who defended our nation in our armed forces and pledge to remain steadfast in reminding our citizens of the debt that is owed to all veterans. thank you. \[applause] >> ladies and gentlemen, please welcome the secretary of veterans' affairs, the honorable eric k. shinseki. \[applause]

>> thank you very much. happy veterans day, everyone. what a beautiful day. rick delaney took my line, but let me say, mr. president, congratulations to you and the vice president on your reelection. \[applause] let me also congratulate the first lady and dr. biden for their leadership and support for veterans and veterans' families. \[applause] medal of honor recipients, other department of defense leaders, and leaders of our uniform services in the case of our own department our deposit

tear secretary, other v.a. colleagues and once again national president of the retired enlisted association, our co-host for this year's celebration, representatives of all of our other veteran service organizations, fellow veterans, other distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen, 94 years ago today, the guns of world war i fell silent all along the western front. today, we gather at this sacred national shrine to honor and thank americans of every generation who throughout our history have answered the call of duty to safeguard our nation during time of war and during periods of restless peace. 22 million veterans, american veterans today have

distinguished themselves by their service in uniform. their devotion and sacrifice are the bedrock of our sovereignty as a nation, our values as a people, our security as a democracy and our offer of hope to those in other lands who dream of the freedoms that we enjoy. the service of veterans has provided all of us the gift of liberty. though the doughboys of world war i are gone, our veterans today represent every other generation since. and so as we gather today before the start of the coming seasons of both thanksgiving and gift giving, we are grateful for the blessings bestowed on our country. this legacy of liberty continues. for the past 11 years the men and women of our armed forces have stood watch in iraq and afghanistan, but also europe and korea and more than 150 other countries around the globe.

more than 1.5 million veterans have served in combat in the combat theaters of iraq and afghanistan and the horn of africa. since 9/11, nearly 3 million veterans have departed the military having fulfilled their duty to the nation. nearly four years ago, the president asked me to do two things. first, make things better for veterans now. and then transform the department of veterans affairs to better serve veterans well into the 21st century. in doing so, he also provided leadership and support that resulted in increases to the v.a.'s budgets by nearly 40% between 2009 and this year 2013. these are the resources which have greatly enhanced the care and services we're able to provide to millions of veterans. well over 800,000 of them have been added to v.a.'s healthcare roll since 2009.

compensation for 3.3 million veterans including more than 359,000 who are 100% disabled. over $10 billion in annual education benefits to more than 1 million student veterans and eligible family members. finally, the country's largest national cemetery system, 131 cemetaries where veterans are laid to rest and national shrines befitting their service and sacrifice. and finally one last time, let me acknowledge the wonders accomplished by the first lady and dr. biden through their joining forces initiative. i want to thank them both for the genuine care and concern they have for service members, for veterans and their families. veterans couldn't ask for stronger advocates than the president, the vice president, the first lady and dr. biden. and that is why, ladies and gentlemen, it's my great

personal and professional honor to present to you our commander in chief the president of the united states of america, barack obama. \[applause] >> thank you. thank you so much. please everybody be seated. good morning everyone. thank you secretary shinseki for a lifetime of service for our nation and for being such an advocate on behalf of american's veterans, including your fellow vietnam veterans. to rick delaney, to vice president biden, and admiral and major general, our outstanding veteran service organizations, our men and women in uniform, active guard and reserve, and most of all to the

proud veterans and family members joining us in this sacred place, it is truly a privilege and an honor to be with all of you here today. each year on the 11th day of the 11th month, we pause as a nation and as a people to pay tribute to you, to thank you, to honor you, the heroes over the generations who have served this country of ours with distinction. moments ago, i laid a wreath to remember every service member who has ever worn our nation's uniform. this day first and foremost belongs to them and their loved ones. to the father and mother, the husband and wife, the brother and sister, the comrade and the friend who when we leave here

today will continue to walk these quiet hills and kneel before the final resting place of those they cherished the most. on behalf of the american people, i say to you that the memory of your loved ones carries on not just in your hearts but in ours as well. i assure you that their sacrifice will never be forgotten. for it is in that sacrifice that we see the enduring spirit of america. since even before our founding, we have been blessed with an unbroken chain of patriots who have always come forward to serve. whenever america has come under attack, you've risen to her defense. whenever our freedoms have come under assault, you've responded with resolve.

time and again, at home and abroad, you and your families have sacrificed to protect that powerful promise that all of us hold so dear, life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. today the proud nation expresses our gratitude, but we do so mindful that no ceremony or parade, no hug or handshake is enough to truly honor that service. for that we must do more. for that we must commit this day and every day to serving you as well as you've served us. when i spoke here three years ago, i spoke about today's generation of service members, this 9/11 generation who stepped forward after the towers fell and in the years since have stepped into history, writing one of the greatest chapters in military service our country has ever known.

you toppled a dictator and battled insurgency in iraq. you pushed back the taliban, and you decimated al qaeda in afghanistan. you delivered justice to osama bin laden. tour after tour, year after year, you and your families have done all that this country has asked. you've done that and more. three years ago, i promised your generation that when your tour comes to an end, when you see our flag, when you touch our soil, you'll be welcomed home to an america that will forever fight for you just as hard as you fought for us. so long as i'm your commander in chief, that is the promise we will never stop working to keep. this is the first veterans day in a decade in which there are no american troops fighting and

dying in iraq. \[applause] 33,000 of our troops have now returned from afghanistan, and the transition there is under way. after a decade of war, our heroes are coming home. over the next few years more than a million service members will transition back into civilian life. they will take off their uniforms and take on a new and lasting role. they will be veterans. as they come home, it falls to us, their fell citizens to be there for them and their families. not just now but always. not just for the first few years but for as long as they walk this earth. to this day we still care for a child of a civil war veteran.

to this day we still care for over 100 spouses and children of the men who fought in the spanish american war. just last year i came here to pay tribute at frank buckles the last american veteran of world war i was laid to rest. frank stepped up and served in world war i for two years but the united states of america kept its commitment to serve him for many decades that followed. so long after the battles end, long after our heroes come home, we stay by their side. that's who we are and that's who we will be for today's returning service members and their families because no one who fights for this country overseas should ever have to fight for a job or a roof over their head or the care that they have earned when they come home. \[applause]

we know the most urgent task is finding a new way to serve. that's why we made it a priority to help you find jobs worthy of your incredible skills and talents. that's why thanks to the work of michelle and joe biden our businesses have trained 125,000 veterans and military spouses. that's why we're transforming for the first time in decades how the military transitions service members from the battlefield to the work place. and because you deserve to share in the opportunities that you defend, we are making sure that the post 9/11 g.i. bill stays strong so you can earn a college education and pursue your dreams. \[applause]

if you find yourself struggling with the wounds of war, such as post traumatic stress disorder or brian injuries, we'll be there for you as well with the care and treatment you need. no veteran should have to wait months or years for the benefits that you've earned. so we will continue to attack the claims backlog, we won't let up. we will not let up. \[applause] and as we mark the 50th anniversary of the vietnam war we have secured new benefits for those veterans exposed to agent original. you needed it, we fought for it and we got it done. \[applause] that's what we do in america. we take care of our own. we take care of our veterans. we take care of your families.

not just by saluting you on one day once a year but by fighting for you and your families every day of every year. that's our obligation. a sacred obligation to all of you and it's an obligation that we gladly accept for officers. six months ago taylor was serving our nation in afghanistan and as a member of an explosive ordnance disposal team his job was one of the most dangerous there is, to lead the way through territory littered with hidden explosives to clear the way for his brothers in arms. on may 3rd while out on patrol taylor stepped on an i.e.d. the blast through him into the air and when he hit the ground he realized both his legs were gone and his left arm. and his right hand.

but as he lay there fully conscious bleeding to death, he cautioned the medics to wait before rushing his way. he feared another i.e.d. was nearby. taylor's concern wasn't for his own life, it was for theirs. eventually they cleared the area, they tended to his wounds. they cared him off the battlefield and days later he was cared to walter reid where he was only the 5th american to survive the amputation of all four limbs. his recovery has been long and it's captivated the nation. a few months after the attack with the help of prosthetics, the love and support of his family and above all his girlfriend who never left his

side. he wasn't just walking again. in avid owe that went viral the world watched he and daniel dance again. i've often said the most humbling part of my job is serving as commander in chief and one of the reasons is every day i get to meet heroes. i met taylor and then in july at the white house i presented him with a purple heart. and right now hanging on a wall is a photo of that day in the white house, a photo of him smiling wide and standing tall. i should point out that taylor couldn't make it here today because they are out kayaking. \[applause]

in taylor we see the best of america, a spirit that says when we get knocked down we rise again. when times are tough, we come together. when one of us falters, we lift them up. in this country we take care of our own, especially our veterans who have served us so bravely and sacrificed so selflessly in our name. and we carry on knowing that our best days always lie ahead. on this day we thank all of our veterans from all of our wars, not just for your service to this country but for reminding us why america is and always will be the greatest nation on earth. god bless you, god bless our veterans, god bless our men and women in uniform and god bless these united states of america. thank you very much. \[applause]

>> please rise and join the united states navy band in singing god bless america. \[applause]

["god bless america" playing]

[applause]

>> ladies and gentlemen please remain standing as we retire the colors. retire the colors. ♪

>> please be seated. this concludes the 2012 national veterans day observance. please be seated for the departure of the president of the united states. thank you for joining us today as we celebrate and honor all who served. \[applause] ♪

\[captioning performed by national captioning institute]

>> next, q&a with matthew heineman. then your calls and comments on the "washington journal." >> i enjoyed watching booktv and broadcast of the various television news programs. i watch c-span -- it provides coverage of events without sound bites and editing ec and other

programs. it gives you an opportunity to consume in news and information and make up my own mind. c-span is a great way to get an unfiltered view of the day's events. >> c-span, created by america pause cable companies in 1979, brought to you as a public service by local television provider. this week, that you heinemann -- matthews heineman discusses his book "escape fire." >> matthew, one of the things on

your sheet i noticed was that you develop a multimedia undertaking called the young americans project. what is that? >> it is a film project called "our time ago -- "our time." i went to dartmouth with no intention of being a filmmaker. i got rejected from teach for america. i was sitting around with my college friends and try to decide what to do. we had this planned to drive across the country for three months, interviewing kids from all walks of life, trying to figure out what our generation is about. we got sponsorship money, we got an rv, and we ended up driving around the country. i learned a ton about filmmaking, life, and i sort of the love with the process. we had a blog,